Transcript of "How to-hire-a-sales-coach1"

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Castain Training SystemsExperienceHow many years have they been a sales professional?I dont think that every sales coach needs a kazillion years of experience to beaneffective coach but I do want to warn you that there are some people out therewith littleto no actual sales experience.What was their track record as a sales rep?Although Ive always been a Top 20 performer, I dont think you have to be thetop dogin order to coach others to do it but I do believe you need to know a thing ortwo aboutperforming consistently.What is their level of experience in the areas where you wish to improve?When I say level of experience I dont mean just coaching others . . . I meanactual,hands on, I did this and/or are doing this myself type of experience.Are they still involved in actual selling?The business world is moving at the speed of light these days. What wasrelevant,appropriate and spot on a few years ago, might be outdated and antiquated today.If you want sales coaching that is up to date and relevant . . . youll want tohiresomeone who is still actively in the trenches!

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What products or services have they sold?While good sales skills can apply to numerous industries, its important thatthiscomponent aligns with what you wish to accomplish.For example: If youre selling a big ticket item, with a lengthy sales cycle, asales coachwho was involved in transactional type sales probably wont be a good fit.What types of things challenged them as a sales professional?I dont care how good someone claims to be, there has to be something, at somepoint,that challenged them.Since part of your time with this coach will be spent discussing yourchallenges,wouldnt it be interesting to see how they handled their own sales challenges?As a bonus, it might be refreshing to know that theyre human enough to havestruggled!In what ways do they dedicate themselves to continued and never endingimprovement?I think its not only important that a coach is dedicated to continuallyimproving, I think itsthe best way to lead by (or perhaps even coach by) example.Bonus points if they believe enough in the coaching mindset enough that theyhave theirown coach!What prompted them to become a coach?If you ever want to know how passionate someone is about their livelihood, askthempoint blank what made them do what they do.

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General Sales PhilosophyIts critical that your philosophies align with those of your coachs or youwill quickly findyourself in a situation where you arent being true to yourself.There are actually people out there coaching philosophies such as buyers areliars orapproaches that are over the top aggressive . . . run away, very fast dude!Additionally, you will need to know where they stand on traditional sellingmethods vs.the newer Sales 2.0 methodologies.Let me put this another way; there are some who feel the cold call is dead andbelievegenerating business through Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter etc is the way to gowhilethere are others who believe in smiling and dialing.Its my humble opinion that all these cool things can live quite nicely togetherand that itshould never be an either or choice!Note: Make every effort to ensure that your potential coach is living theirsalesphilosophies and not just talking about them.Example: A self proclaimed Cold Calling Guru wanted to sell me a cold callingtrainingprogram for a team I was managing. She left me two messages (that were extremelyweak) and then gave up.

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Coaching ProgramHow long is each session?How many times per month do we have sessions?Do they offer before or after hours scheduling options?What does a typical session look like?Important: There are some coaches who believe in leading you on a path of selfdiscovery by asking you questions and offering zero guidance. You need to decideifthats good enough or if you would prefer someone who will offer you some gemsofwisdom as well!Are there action items and is there accountability?No coaching session is complete without getting the action verbs goingotherwise youhave no opportunity to try your new distinctions on for size!What happens between sessions and are you available to me during this timeshould I have questions?Lets face it, sometimes things come up that are too pressing to wait for thenextsession. Will your coach be available or are they only available when the meterisrunning?Fees?This may sound like an obvious question to ask, but there are many coaches whodontcharge per session, they charge you upfront for the entire program.For more information on Paul Castains coaching program, click here!